Characters of Medea (Literature Essay Sample)

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Medea is mostly noted to be a very interesting and captivating woman character in history. This is because she was able to hold diverse characters traits that made the viewers and readers of the story have divided / changing opinions about her role and characters. Therefore, in some occasions she is being depicted as a very wise while on the same time foolish. Her role portrayed her as gentle which later transforms to be very hostile. She is also seen to be cunning and exhibits character of being very open to the other characters. Her conflicting nature has been dominated all through the story which has made it not very easy to interact with other characters in the story (Cuizon, 2008).

In this assignment I am going to highlight on some of the conflicting character traits of Medea and how they have facilitated in development of the plot and flow of ideas in the story and how these characters of Medea are important and helpful to her and the other characters that she interacts with in the story.

Medea was the Princess of Colchis, and a wife of Jason; she is depicted as a clever, powerful, ruthless, barbarian, sorcerer and vengeful woman. From the analysis in the previous works that analyzed her characters she is seen as a murderer, betrayer, proud, manipulator and jealous amongst other hypocritical behaviors that are well applicable in helping her fulfill her own needs and requirements. This makes her feel on top as her deeds were well appropriate in the story.

Medea being a complicated character and her actions were motivated with the things that are happening around her. In that case we are going to highlight on some of her impulses that made her become one of the controversial characters in the play (Cuizon, 2008). The assignment shall highlight on impulses that drives her to being what she is in the play the some impulses includes political jealousy, sexual jealous, emotional grief and physically tormented. These are some of the issues that most likely affect the ways in which Medea behaves.

In the play the sexual jealousy nature of Medea is portrayed in many ways which includes the following; the first instance that is expressed in the play is when Jason who eventually became Medea's husband returned from Iolcus to Cochis in an attempt to claim his throne that was supposed to be his inheritance. While, thrown was in love with Medea and who was willing to do anything just to be with him as his wife (Cuizon, 2008). In that she vowed to help him secure the throne that had brought him back to the kingdom just because she wanted to be with him as her husband. She volunteered a lot if what she had just to be with him and this is by helping Jason achieve what he was supposed to do.

Medea gave Jason the guidance that would necessarily help him pass all the tests that were given to him by Aeëtes. Some of these tests included ploughing a field with fire-breathing oxen bearing in mind that he had to yoke the oxen by himself. The other tests were sowing the teeth of a dragon in the field he had ploughed and finally he had to fight and kill a sleepless dragon (Euripides, 2011). In all these tests Jason got special guidance on the ways that he can pass these tests a process that ensured that he passed and was able to ascend to the throne and he married Medea and had 2 children. Later on Jason changed his mind and left Medea for another woman named Glauce and that was when Medea became vengeful as she sent Jason's new bride a wedding dress that was poisoned and the poison on the dress killed both of them thus she got her revenge for being betrayed with Jason (Cuizon, 2008).

The Political outrage nature of Medea is highly reflected in the play when she was in the frontline and swilling to help Jason to ascend and inherit the throne from the then king Pelias. She really told Jason that she would help shim secure the seat but in condition that she will become his wife. This will automatically make her the queen of Cochis, this showed her political willingness as she had to work extra hard in ensuring that Jason becomes king and this is by giving him guidance and help that will ensure that he passes the test given to him by king Pelias (Euripides, 2011).

Political outrage of Medea is highlighted in the play after the death of Jason she met and married Aegeus and had a son with him named Medus who she wanted inherit the kingdom from Aegeus but that wasn't meant to be because Aegeus long lost son (Theseus) had returned home. She has therefore wanted her son to be the one that would inherit the kingship from Aegeus. Therefore, she resorted to telling Aegeus that Theseus is their rivals and will some day betray the kingdom (Euripides, 2011). Therefore, it isn't fair if he ascended to take the throne and she opted to poison him in order for her own son to ascend to power.

Medea is also depicted as an emotionless person who is unable to feel any form of despair in each and every action she is involved in. In this play Medea is said to be less emotional as she has been involved in a series of killings that had left her so miserable and unwilling to regret the actions that she has been involved in (Euripides, 2011).

In the play Medea is highly seen as a person who was killing people in order to safeguard her ways. The first incident is when she killed her own brother who was trying to stop her from being with the person that she loved the most. This was a clear indication that she was involved in this act in order to safeguard her love relationship with Jason. The other instance is when she killed her husband with his new bride this was as a result of her feeling betrayed by him thus the only way of getting her revenge back was by killing him (Cuizon, 2008). She is also said to have killed her own two sons this is because her emotions felt that they might be killed by her enemies. Therefore, the only way of preventing this from happening was by killing them.

Medea actions are inspired by her personal judgment of a situation this is after evaluating any given situation and then coming up with the possible outcome of the solution. Thus, her past deeds are the driving force towards her behaviours. This is seen when she kills her own sons because she is scared of the likelihood of them being attacked and killed by her enemies who includes the list of people she has killed earlier.

These people includes the Jason's' and Glauce family (Euripides, 2011). Others includes the king Pelias family thus making it possible for her to be free and feel less guilty in whatever that she was doing. Hence, she was dealing with her conscience when dealing with any situation as her past actions affected the ways that she reacted in the present. These actions led her to become one miserable character as she was not appreciated by most of the characters in the play. Thus, towards the end she resorted to flee to Iranian from Athens after she was chased away by Aegeus for planning to kill his own son who changed her name to Medes and they lived peaceful.